Supply holder



Nov. 22, 1960 R. L. SEIGLE SUPPLY HOLDER Filed Feb. 12, 1959 INVENTOR. 19055971. 55/625 ADD/HEX I BYMH. g -M United States Patent SUPPLY HOLDER Robert L. Seigle, 7812 Lexington Ave., Philadelphia 15, Pa.

Filed Feb. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 792,761

1 Claim. (Cl. 242-130) This invention relates to a supply holder, and more particularly to a supply holder for holding bobbins, spools, or other forms of packages of yarn, thread and the like to deliver the material to winding machines, twisting machines, and other textile apparatus.

In the textile industry, a great factor determining the speed of operation of winding machines, twisting machines, and other textile apparatus is the manner in which the yarn, thread, and the like is supplied to the machine. The yarn, thread, and the like is usually supplied on a spool and bobbin or the like. If the supply holder contains only a single spool and bobbin of yarn, thread and the like, when the spool and bobbin is exhausted, the machine must be stopped in order to replace the exhausted spool and bobbin with a full spool and bobbin. The stoppage of the machine creates a great loss of production time. Therefore, it is desirable to have a supply holder which contains a plurality of spools and bobbins, and which permits a continuous feed of the thread from spool and bobbin to spool and bobbin.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a supply holder for holding spools and bobbins or other forms of packages of thread, yarn, and the like.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a supply holder for holding a plurality of spools and bobbins, and which permits a continuous feed of the yarn, thread and the like from spool and bobbin to spool and bobbin.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a supply holder for holding a plurality of spools and bobbins which permits ease of replacement of an exhausted spool and bobbin without interfering with the feed of the yarn, thread and the like from the other bobbins.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the supply holder of the present invention with the spools and bobbins mounted thereon.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the supply holder of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a bottom elevational view of the supply holder of the present invention taken along line 33 of Figure2,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along line 55 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing, the supply holder of the present invention is generally designated as 10. Supply holder comprises a base 12, and a spool and bobbin holder 14 rotatably mounted on the base 12.

Base 12 comprises a substantially flat top 16 and a ice pair of legs 18 extending downwardly from the sides of top 16. The top 16 of base 12 has a central hole 20 therethrough.

Spool and bobbin holder 14 comprises a hub 22 having a central aperture 24 extending longitudinally there through. Hub 22 is seated on the top 16 of base 12 with the aperture 24 in the hub 22 being in alignment with the hole 26 in the top 16. A headed pivot pin 26 extends through the aligned aperture 24 and hole 20, and has a nut 28 threaded on its bottom end to secure the spool and bobbin holder 14 to the base 12. The aperture 24 in the hub 22 is slightly larger in diameter than the pivot pin 26 so that the spool and bobbin holder 14 can rotate on the pivot pin 26.

Four arms 30 extend radially from the hub 22 adjacent the top of the hub 22. Arms 30 are flat and are evenly spaced around the hub 22. The outer end 30a of each of the arms 30 is bent upwardly at a small angle with respect to the horizontal for reasons which will be explained below. Each of the ends 30a of the arms 36 has a hole 32 therethrough.

A spool and bobbin mounting pin 34 extends through each of the holes 32 in the ends 304 of the arms 30. The pins 34 fit tightly in the holes 32 so that the pins 34 are firmly secured to the arms 30. Each of the pins 34 extends upwardly from and is substantially perpendicular to the end Siia of its respective arm 34). Since the ends Sila of arms 30 are bent upwardly, the pins 34 project toward each other. Thus, the longitudinal axes of the pins 34 when extended upwardly, as indicated by dotted lines 36 in Figure 1, meet at a common point which is directly above the pivot pin 26.

Each of the pins 34 has a head 38 on its bottom end which engages the bottom surface of the end 30a of its respective arm 30. The top ends 34a of the pins 34 are rounded to permit ease of mounting a spool and bobbin on the pins 34. Each of the pins 34 has a pair of diametrically opposed grooves 40 extending longitudinally along the pin 34 from a point adjacent the bottom end of the pin 34 to a point midway along the pin 34. A hole 42 extends diametrically through each of the pins 34 and connects the upper ends of the grooves 40. A substantially U-shaped metal spring 44 is mounted on each of the pins 34 with the bottom 46 of the spring 44 extending through the hole 42 in the pin 34 and the arms 48 of the spring 44 extending longitudinally downward in the grooves 49. The arms 48 of spring 44 are bent so that the ends 48a of the arms 48 tightly engage the bottom of the grooves 40 and the middle 48b of the arms 48 project radially out of the grooves 40.

Hub 22 of spool and bobbin holder 14 has a blind hole 50 extending longitudinally from its bottom surface and spaced radially from the central aperture 24. A ball detent 52 is within the hole 50, and a helical spring 54 is compressed between the ball 52 and the bottom of the hole 50 to hold the ball against the top 16 of base 12. The top 16 of base 12 has four holes 56 therethrough uniformly spaced around the central hole 20. Each of the holes 56 is slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of ball 52. The holes 56 are spaced radially from the central hole 20 the same distance that ball 52 is spaced from the central aperture 24 in hub 22. Thus, as the spool and bobbin holder 14 is rotated with respect to the base 12, the ball detent 52 can selectively snap into each of the holes 56 to lock the spool and bobbin holder 14 from freely rotating on the base 12.

The supply holder 10 of the present invention operates as follows:

Four spools and bobbins of yarn, thread and the like 58a, 58b, 58c, and 58d are mounted on the spool and bobbin mounting pins 34 and are seated on the ends 30a of the arms 30. The projecting mid portions 48b of the 'full spool and bobbin.

arms 48 of springs 44 resiliently engage the walls of the bores of the spools and bobbins to hold the spools and bobbins on the pins 34 and prevent the spools and bobbins from rotatingr The leading end 60 of the yarn, thread and the like on spool and bobbin 58a is fed to a winding machine, twisting machine, or other textile apparatus through a guide 62 which is mounted at the meeting point of the longitudinal axes 36 of the pins 34. The tail end 64 of the yarn, thread and the like on spool and bobbin 58a is tied to the leading end 66 of the yarn, thread and the like on spool and bobbin 581;. Similarly, the tail end 68 of the yarn, thread and the like on spool and bobbin 58b is tied to the leading end 70 of the yarn, thread and the like on spool and bobbin 58c, and the tail end 72 of the yarn, thread and the like on spool and bobbin 58c is tied to the leading end 74 of the yarn, thread and the like on spool and bobbin 5801. The tail end 76 of the yarn, thread and the like on spool and bobbin 58d is left free.

As the textile apparatus uses the yarn, thread and the like, the yarn, thread and the like is unwound from the bobbin 58a. When the yarn, thread and the like on spool the bobbin 58a is exhausted, the supply of the yarn, thread and the like is automatically transferred to spool and bobbin 5812. Since the longitudinal axes of all the spools and bobbins extends to the guide 62, the transfer of yarn, thread and the like from spool and bobbin 58a to spool and bobbin 58b is made without entangling or breaking the yarn, thread and the like. When the yarn, thread and the like on spool and bobbin 58a is exhausted, the operator rotates the spool and bobbin holder 14 with respect to the base 12 until the spool and bobbin 58a is in easy reach of the operator and the ball detent 52 has snapped into a hole 56 to prevent further free rotation of the spool and bobbin holder 14. The spool and bobbin holder 14 can be rotated without interfering with the feed of the yarn, thread and the like since the longitudinal axes of all the spools and bobbins extend to the guide 62.

yarn, thread and the like on spool and bobbin 580?. As

each of the spools and bobbins becomes exhausted, the operator similarly rotates the spool and bobbin holder 14 to bring the exhausted spool and bobbin into easy reach and replaces the exhausted spool and bobbin'with a new 7 The leading end of the yarn, thread and the like on the new spool and bobbin is tied to the free tail end of the last spool and bobbin. Thus, the supply holder 10 of the present invention provides a continuous feed of the yarn, thread and the like, and permits ease of replacement of exhausted spools and bobbins with new full spools and bobbins so that the continuous feed of the yarn, thread and the like can be maintained without the necessity of stopping the textile machine.

Although the supply holder 10 of the present invention is shown as having four arms 30 for mounting four spools and bobbins, the supply holder 10 may have any desired number of arms 30 for holding any desired number of spools and bobbins. However, the arms 30 should be evenly spaced apart, and the base 12 should have the same number of detent holes 56 as there are arms 30.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly,ireference should be made to the appended claim, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

I claim:

A supply holder for spools and bobbins of yarn, thread and the like comprising a base, a bobbin holder having a hub rotatably mounted on said base by a pivot pin extending through said hub and said base, a plurality of arms extending radially from said hub, said arms being spaced evenly around said hub, the free ends of said arms being bent away from said base, a separate bobbin mounting pin secured to the free end of each of said arms and projecting from said arms away from said base, each of said bobbin mounting pins being substantially perpendicular to the free end of its respective arm so that the pins project toward a common point which is spaced from said bobbin holder and is on the axis of said pivot pin, each of said bobbin mounting pins having a pair of diametrically opposed longitudinally extending grooves in its surface and a hole extending diametrically through the pin and connecting said grooves, a separate substantially U-shaped metal spring mounted on each of the pins with the bottom of the spring extending through said hole and the arms of said spring extending longitudinally in said grooves, each of the arms of said spring being bent so that the ends of said arms resiliently engage the bottom of the grooves and a portion of said arms projects radially outwardly from said grooves, a blind hole extending longitudinally into said hub from the bottom surface of said hub, a ball in said hole, a helical spring in said hole and compressed between said ball and the bottom of said hole, said spring urging said ball toward said base, and a plurality of evenly spaced holes in said base beneath said hub and around said pivot pin, said holes in said base being smaller in diameter than said ball and being arranged so that upon rotation of said bobbin holder with respect to said base the ball will selectively snap into said holes and lock the bobbin holder from freely rotating with respect to said base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 582,770 Watson May 18, 1897 1,260,069 Sawtell Mar. 19, 1918 1,311,039 Burman July 22, 1919 1,488,123 Kershaw Mar. 25, 1924 1,760,347 Craig May 27, 1930 

